Oklahoma schools are struggling to find permanent teachers, with hundreds of positions still open across the state. To fix the problem, the state has been issuing emergency certifications in higher numbers than ever before.

Emergency certifications can be granted to college graduates who have related experience but may not be fully qualified to teach. Applicants must pass exams and meet other requirements before leading a class of their own.

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Friday, we met with two teachers who have gone through the certification process, and have stepped into new roles in classrooms at Herronville Elementary.

“(I) just applied for all the pre-K positions, got a lot of callbacks, everyone called me back,” Roxanna Stiles, who now teaches pre-K, said. “It all worked out, my dreams came true, and the mood was set just right.”

Just one month ago, she was finishing up her degree and co-owned two restaurants with her husband.

For Stiles, her new job fulfills a lifelong dream of working with kids. She said so far, the job has been extremely rewarding.

Herronville’s newest PE teacher, Michael Parker, also went through the certification program.

“I’ve kind of been through a few different career paths since college and I always thought I had the desire to be a teacher,” Parker said. “I found out about the alternative program, so that provided me a route to fulfill the desire of teaching yet not have to go back to college and pay thousands of dollars.”

Parker and Stiles both said they are thrilled to be at Herronville, and hope others will follow in their footsteps to fill the teaching void in Oklahoma.

So far in July and August alone, the state has granted 280 emergency certifications for people like Parker and Stiles. In 2013, they issued 189, while in 2012, that number was just 99.